The invention relates to connectors used in connecting wire harnesses and the like and having such a design that connecting terminals are held within a connector housing. More particularly, the invention is directed to a connector of such a type that connecting terminals are held by a holding projection arranged on a housing lance that projects so as to be cantilever-like in the direction of inserting or extracting the terminals into or from the connector housing.
Various types of connectors have heretofore been used in wire harnesses and in other fields. A typical such connector is shown in FIG. 7.
A connector 30 shown in FIG. 7 includes a housing lance 6 that projects so as to be cantilever-like in the direction of inserting a terminal into a connector housing 2. A male terminal 4 (connected to a not shown lead) and a female terminal 3 (connected to a lead 20) are connected within the connector housing 2. The female terminal 3 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 9 of the connector housing 2 gets held within the connector housing 2 by a holding projection 7 that has been fitted into a stepped portion or a hole formed on the bottom of the female terminal 3. The holding projection 7 is formed at a position closer to the front end (free end side) of the housing lance 6.
A male terminal holder 5 has a strip 12 for preventing a terminal from coming out (hereinafter referred to as "the strip 12"). The strip 12 extends forwardly along the bottom of male terminal 4. The strip 12 is arranged so as to enter into a lance flexion gap 16 when the male terminal 4 is inserted into the connector housing. That is, when the plate-like strip 12 is inserted into the lance flexion gap 16 provided between the housing lance 6 and a bottom inner wall 15 of the connector housing 2, the housing lance 6 cannot be flexed downward, thereby preventing the female terminal 3 from being coming out.
In the conventional connector, incomplete insertion of the female terminal 3 is sensed by the following way. When one tries to insert the strip 12 into the lance flexion gap 16 under the condition that the female terminal 3 has been inserted incompletely or that the front end portion of the housing lance 6 stays at a position lower than the normal position due to forming errors or the like, the front end portion of the housing lance abuts against the front end of the strip 12, thus blocking the insertion of the strip 12. Such condition that the insertion of the strip 12 is blocked is sensed as the female terminal being inserted incompletely.
However, the housing lance 6 and the strip 12 are formed integrally with the connector housing and the terminal holder, respectively. Thus, these members are relatively thin and small. In addition, the housing lance 6 comes in contact with the strip 12 at such a small portion that these members are liable to deformation or damage when a force that is stronger than necessary is applied at the time of inserting the male terminal 4, even through such force is not so strong. As a result, even in the case where the strip 12 should function as a sensor for sensing incomplete insertion as the strip 12 has not entered into the lance flexion gap 16, the male terminal 4 is allowed to be inserted due to the deformation or damage of the housing lance 6, thereby imposing the problem that the incomplete insertion of the female terminal 3 cannot be sensed.
Proposed under these circumstances is a connector having such a structure that a surface 8a for ushering the front end portion of the strip 12 is formed at the front end of the housing lance 6 and that an inclined ushering surface 12a formed by appropriately tapering or chamfering the front end portion of the strip 12 is arranged as shown in FIG. 7 (Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 131074/1988). This design allows the inclined ushering surface 12a to be positioned on the ushering surface 8a as shown in FIG. 7 when a front end 8 of the housing lance 6 happens to abut against the front end portion of the strip 12, thereby improving the function of sensing the incomplete insertion of the terminals.
However, while the arrangement disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 131074/1988 can improve the function of sensing the incomplete insertion without fail, there is still room for further improvement. That is, under this arrangement, the strength of the housing lance itself is not improved. For example, when the strip 12 is pushed further under the condition that the front end portion of the strip 12 has slid onto the ushering surface 8a as shown in FIG. 7, there are cases where the housing lance 6 is deformed or damaged.
The reason is that the housing lance 6 is thin and projecting with one end thereof free and, in addition, that the sensing operation is performed with the strip 12 being pushed from the free end side of the housing lance 6. Thus, the housing lance is liable to deformation or damage. This shortcoming is keenly felt as connectors tend to be downsized.